I Thessalonians 1: Faith, Hope, and Love

In today's episode, Crystal kicks off her study of I and II Thessalonians with some background information before digging into the first chapter of I Thessalonians. She shares how the LORD challenged her to be known for her "work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." The church in Thessalonica was a great example to others as they waited for Jesus Christ's return. Let's see what we can learn from them today.

We will be studying through I and II Thessalonians for the next several episodes. Here's the link to the study guide if you'd like one to accompany your study. 

Richard Hester's books can be found here.

Mark Trotter's 52 Weeks of Pursuit can be found here. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hi there, welcome to Wisdom for Wednesday, your midweek pause for truth, encouragement, and practical faith. I'm your host, Crystal Ratcliffe, author, speaker, and fellow traveler on this journey of growing in God's Word. Each week we'll dive into Scripture together and have the opportunity to be encouraged in the truth that never changes. If you're able, grab your Bible, a cup of coffee, and let's seek God's wisdom together. Hi there, and welcome back to Wisdom for Wednesday. Today is going to kick off our study of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. And so I'm excited. I know some of you are studying along with me, and I'm excited to share what I've been learning as I've started my study. We're going to get into some history about Thessalonica and some of the background information today. And then I'm just going to share some takeaways from chapter one that the Lord spoke to my heart about as I studied through chapter one of 1 Thessalonians. So before we get into that, I wanted to give you a little bit of an update on the book, the devotional book that I've been working on. I um had the goal, and I shared that with you, that I would have the rough draft done by the end of March. I'm not quite there yet at the time of this recording, but I have a few more days, so I'm hoping that I will be close. I'm so, so very close. My goal truly was to release that before Mother's Day. So I will have to get it to my proofreaders, do some editing, and see just how close I can get to that goal. But I can tell you this: by setting that 90-day goal, it definitely helped me stay on track toward finishing it. Or I would not even be this close if I didn't have that goal in front of me. So I encourage you, if you are trying to accomplish something, try to set that 90-day goal. Try to meet a 90-day goal. Of course, that means I need to check in on all of my 90-day goals and kind of see where I'm at and set goals for the next 90 days. I shared this in an episode called Be Consistent. It was about kind of instead of New Year's resolutions, how I was approaching setting goals this year. So if you want to go back and listen to it, it's called Be Consistent. And so let's get in here to Thessalonians. So I'm going to be giving you background information from Brother Richard Hester's New Testament Bible History Handbook. I've shared this before uh Brother Richard Hester started my church many, many years ago, and then he became a missionary first to Lebanon and then to Australia. And he has a Bible history handbook for the New Testament and the Old Testament that I love to use when I'm starting a study because it just helps me to understand some background information, context of when it was written, who it was written to, all those great things. And so I will link that in the show notes for you again. Thessalonica was the capital city of Macedonia. And we read about that in Acts 16, 9 and 10 was the call that Paul got. It says, And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. So Macedonia, well, Thessalonica was approximately a hundred miles west of Philippi on the Ignatian Way, which was the major east-west highway between Rome and Asia. And it was declared a free city in 42 AD because of its loyalty to the Roman Emperor, meaning it was ruled by its own local authorities and there weren't Roman soldiers stationed there. The city had a fairly large Jewish population, but it was predominantly Greek. And this city in northern Greece still exists today. I'm probably not going to say this right. It was once called Salonika, now commonly called Thessaloniki. Because of its location, it was known as the Mother of Macedonia. Trade poured into the city from both the east and the west, and it was a wealthy and prosperous city, a perfect place to start the spread of the gospel in the region. So on his second missionary journey, Paul came to Thessalonica, and we can read about that in Acts chapter 17. So turn over there with me. Let's look at verse 1. It says, Now when they had passed through Amphophilus and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ. And some of them believed and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. Now there is some time that passes between verse four and five, because we have evidence of that in other areas of scripture. But verse five says, But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also, whom Jason hath received, and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city when they heard these things, and when they had taken security of Jason and of the other, they let them go. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea, who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. So after Paul left, he eventually wrote this letter from Corinth, probably around in 51 A.D. Now, like I said, it's it's kind of unclear exactly how long Paul was in Thessalonica. It seems fast if you read that without that pause between verse 4 and 5, but we can read that he used his trait of tent making to support himself there and he received offerings from the church of Philippi. So we know that he was there for enough time to establish this church. Paul wrote the letter to clear up some confusion regarding the return of Jesus Christ and to encourage them to live holy lives while they waited. So as we study 1st and 2 Thessalonians, I think it's important that we consider some things about 1st and 2 Thessalonians. So there are different positions about the end times. I believe that when the rapture of the church takes place, which we're going to study about in 1 Thessalonians, that is going to begin the Great Tribulation. And then at the end of that seven-year period, that is when Jesus Christ will return to the earth with his church to establish the millennial reign. So when we're studying through 1 and 2 Thessalonians, we're going to see that in 1 Thessalonians, he is talking about the rapture or the catching away of the church and then that ushering in the tribulation. In 2 Thessalonians, we're going to get more into when Christ returns with his church to establish the millennial kingdom. That being said, I think it's important that we remember the reason we're studying. So I like this quote from Mark Trotter, and I've shared his resource before called 52 Weeks of Pursuit. He says this, but it is also clear that though these books deal with the prophetic events, Paul doesn't want us to approach the rapture and the second coming of Christ as mere doctrines to contemplate or discuss in a Bible study. They aren't just truths to tantalize our intellect or our imagination. They are biblical realities that affect the way we live. These prophetic events need to be translated into practical spiritual living. So he calls these books a how-to manual for living in the last days. They offer real-world advice about what we need to emphasize as well as how we need to approach the Lord's work so that we can be as effective as possible. Okay, with all that being said, now let's look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. And I'm going to read the entire chapter. It's only 10 verses. It says, Paul and Sylvanius and Timot Timotheus unto the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father. Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God, for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake, and ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that ye were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaea. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaea, but also in every place your faith to God word is spread abroad, so that we need not speak anything. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. So Paul, Silas, and Timothy, they're writing to the Church of Thessalonica, and they are writing to a church. They called out people. They are the saved people. So when we see that word, knowing your election of God, it's talking about their salvation. So I want to pause real briefly and talk about that word election as well as chosen predestination and foreknowledge, because there are some who have hijacked those words and they've made us scared of them. We don't need to be scared of them. They are great Bible words. And when we consider them, the Bible as a whole, and we're careful to keep them in context, there's nothing to be scared of because in Christ we are elect. We know that from Ephesians chapter 1. Before the foundation of the world, God chose the church, the body of Christ, to be different. And those of us who call upon Jesus in faith for salvation are placed in him. We become part of the body of Christ that we should be holy and without blame. We read about that in Ephesians 1:4. The word predestination is only used when referring to God's people, and it's always to something. For example, the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1.5, or predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son in Romans chapter 8. The goal of predestination is not to send some to hell and some to heaven. In fact, you'll never see that in the Bible, but it is for the believer's glorification to make every Christian increasingly more like Christ. And then the word foreknowledge. God is God. Of course, he knew who would accept Jesus as Savior and who wouldn't, but he certainly did not send Jesus to die for a select few, and he desires all to be saved. And we can see that all throughout scripture. So we can rest assured that when the Bible says in John 3, 16 and 17, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. So we can rest assured that the world means the world, and whosoever means whosoever. Whosoever believeth on Jesus shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Now we see Paul, Timothy, and Silas, they were able to give thanks for the Thessalonians because of their work of faith, their labor of love, and their patience of hope. And that stood out to me a lot when I was studying through this chapter. But also then it says they were in samples or examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia, and they sounded out the word of the Lord, and their faith was spread abroad. So I wanted to look at those three things: the work of faith, the labor of love, and patience of hope. So first let's talk about the work of faith. Now, some point out that these three things tend to go with verse 9 and 10. So they equate the work of faith with them turning to God from idols. So we we tend to have a hard time, I think, really understanding what kind of false God worship actually went on in biblical times because we don't see that a lot here in America as much. But I can tell you this, it was evidence that they had been saved. They turned from their false gods or from their idols. So an idol, of course, talking here is like an image of a false god, but what about for us when we get saved, turning from the other things we can put in our put up in our life as idols? Because another definition of idol is anything on which we set our affections, that to which we indulge an excessive and sinful attachment. We should turn from those things. When we get saved, we should set our affection on things above, and it should cause us to change, to be different. There should be evidence of the work that God has done in our heart and in our life. So they're not working for their faith, but our faith should change our behavior. James 2.17 says, even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. So when we have when we have accepted Christ as our Savior, it should cause us to change our behavior and do good works. I think in James it talks about when we look in the mirror. Let me read that. James chapter 1, verse 22. I'll start there. It says, But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this shall this man shall be blessed in his deed. And James 4 17 goes on to say, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So when we get saved and we start getting into the word of God and he shows us things, we should change. There should be some good works that go along with our faith. Uh Mark Trotter had an outline of the book of James that I really liked. He said, Real, genuine faith should endure temptation, show no partiality, it should change our speech, transform our relationships, and anticipate Christ's return, which is kind of what we're talking about today with Thessalonians. The next thing I want to look at is that labor of love, which, like I told you, some equate that with verse 9 and 10. So in verse 9, they say that labor of love is serving the living and true God. And I want to just point out the word living there because hey, we're talking about we're getting rid of the idols, the false gods, and we're going to serve the one true living God. But that word labor there is intense labor united with trouble and trial. It's not easy to love the Lord as we should, to serve him as we should, and to love others as we should. But it was something that they were known for. In fact, later in this book, in chapter four, verse nine, we're going to read this verse. But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of love to, I'm sorry, taught of God to love one another. So I want you to think about 1 Corinthians chapter 13. It's often called the love chapter, and it's used at weddings and things like that. But we often skip over those first three verses, which basically say you can do all the things, you can have all the spiritual gifts, you can serve in the church, but without charity, it's just noise. It's called the sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal in those verses. It profits nothing and it's vain. So when we look at 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 4, it says, Charity suffereth long and is kind. Charity envieth not, charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth. So, yes, learning to love this way will definitely help your marriage. But in context, we're talking about serving in the local church. Love for the Lord should be our motivation for serving, and our love for the Lord allows us to love others, that brotherly love that I was talking about, as we should. So then we see the next thing is patience of hope. And in verse 10, it says that they wait for his son from heaven. So hope there is the joyful, confident expectation of eternal salvation. And then patience is steadfastness, endurance, not swerved from our deliberate purpose and loyalty of faith despite sufferings and trials. The Thessalonians, the Thessalonian church had an eternal perspective. Verse 9 says, For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. And then I just want to note back in our text, chapter 1, verse 10, it says, And to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. It's already done. We've already been delivered because of what Jesus did for us. And when we accepted him as our Savior, we've been delivered from the wrath to come. Now I want to look at a few more things in verse 6 through 10 there. Starting in verse 6, it says that they had received the word with much affliction. So we read about how they were, Paul and Silas were ran run out of town. They were run out of town. And you have to understand that the persecution of the Christians that stayed in Thessalonica wouldn't have stopped there. So they were suffering in affliction, maybe their friends, their family, people turning against them and actually persecuting them for their decision to follow Christ. But I think I had written in my notes, despite much affliction, but then I stopped and I said, or perhaps it's because of it that they became a great example to others. I think you can agree with me that when we're going through hard times, we turn to the Lord more. And so it could be that yes, the affliction turned them to following Christ even more than what they would have if everything had seemed easy. But we also see that it wasn't that they just became examples, but in order to do that, they followed the right people. Because we see in verse six, and ye became followers of us and of the Lord. So who we follow matters. We need to be Discerning in this information age, anyone can have a platform, even me. So we need to be careful that the people we are following, the things we are listening to, that we are checking it against the word of God. And like it says, there being a follower of the Lord. So they followed the right people and they followed the Lord. And what happened is they became an example to others. Why? Because, verse 8, for from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, Achai, but also in every place, your faith to God's word is spread abroad. So I had in the study guide, I asked this question: Does my life sound out the word of God and spread abroad the gospel? And I had to do some real thinking about that. Because if we're living in the light of Christ's return, meaning we're expecting it as this church did, we should be living in such a way that sounds out the word of God and spreads the gospel. And so that was what I was really challenged by this week as I studied was just what am I known for? Am I known for a work of faith, a labor of love, patience of hope, and then being an example and sounding out the word of the Lord and spreading the gospel. So that's what I want to leave you with today. Thank you so much for listening. Again, I will link Brother Hester's page, his page with the guidebooks, and I will link Mark Trotter's 52 Weeks of Pursuit. Those are the two resources I mentioned today. And then, of course, if you don't have a study guide and you would like one, that link will be in the show notes as well. As always, if the podcast is a blessing to you, please share it with a friend. Take time to give it a rating, a review, all the things. Because just like with the books, when you leave reviews and ratings, it just helps people to find the books or find the podcast. So I appreciate it when you take time to do that. And we will be back here next week with First Thessalonians chapter two.